Paper and Fire
by amani alye
Summary: A dangerous band of Rebels is stirring in the Eastern Fire Nation, killing mercilessly. The deaths begin to pile up, the killings inflicted in an order that only they understand. But as the pattern comes to light, we wonder...will Prince Zuko survive?


**Paper and Fire**

By: lady firebender

Disclaimer (DEARLY BELOVED, ARE YOU LISTENING! GO GREEN DAY!): I do not own _Avatar: The Last Airbender_. If I did, I'd do two things: Worship myself, and spend all the money that I would have made…BECAUSE THE SHOW FREAKING ROCKS MY SOCKS (which I am not wearing right now, just in case anyone cares…). I do, however, Aayura, who is the only OC in the story so far. Please refrain from "borrowing" them without my permission.

On a more useless and random note, I do not own Green Day, either. (Sulk)

ON WITH THE STORY.

* * *

**CHAPTER ONE**

Burn

Torches flickered on the wall of the cave, somehow seeming to spread more shadows than light. But that suited its current occupants- a group known simply as The Rebels.

Currently, only one person was within the dreary cave- the Rebel leader, a young girl called Aayura. She sat at the oak hewn desk, razor sharp knife in her hand. On the desk was a portrait, drawn in excruciating detail. Aayura smiled, although the effect was somewhat frightening on her scarred face- she should know how accurate the picture was.

She had known the person it depicted her entire life.

But family ties meant nothing to Aayura now; she had weaned herself off of emotion of any type, and that included loyalty, even to her most beloved brother. No, power was all that mattered. Power, and revenge.

The girl allowed the blade of the knife to meander down, until the deathly sharp point rested right between the eyes of the young man in the picture. Her own amber eyes lit up as she traced the features of the subject- the high cheekbones, the disdainful sneer, the tawny eyes she knew so well.

Suddenly her face twisted with rage, and the young Rebel plunged the knife blade deep down into the portrait. Seething with unprovoked anger, Aayura put all of her strength into dragging the blade through the portrait, until finally there were two halves of paper tacked onto the now mangled desk.

Sending a final hateful glance to the shredded paper, Aayura stood, ignoring the clatter that echoed through the cavern as her chair tipped over. Fists clenched, the girl stalked through the cave, conjuring two handfuls of fire to lick around her locked fists.

"You will die, brother. For what you have done to me, you will die," she murmured, before halting. Taking careful aim at the desk, Aayura shot three successive fireballs at it, until the already scarred desk was engulfed in flames. At the center of the inferno, the portrait's edges furled up, curling furtively in an attempt to keep from disintegrating.

"Yes…burn…burn. I am the fire, brother dear, and you the paper…you will burn before me…" Aayura cried, listening to her crazed voice echo through the cavern.

Sending a final fireball at the desk, Aayura flashed her middle finger at it, then stomped from the cavern, where the rest of the Rebels were milling around outdoors, sharpening their weapons, or just socializing.

"We attack at dawn!" Aayura shouted, "Larpe will die!"

A roar went through the crowd, for they knew what Larpe's death meant: The fishmonger was only the first rail of the ladder; the chain would continue, through the social classes, through the contacts, until Aayura's knife finally slashed the throat of her desired victim.

And it would be easy, too- the Fire Nation no longer cared for 'him'. Really, she was doing them a favor…

But Aayura liked the idea of doing herself a favor even more.

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((lady firebender: goofy grin Well, there goes chapter one of 'Paper and Fire'! I, personally, thought it was painfully obvious who "he" was, but hey…I'm the only one who knows. So whatever.

Aayura: I AM NOT CRAZY, DAMMIT!

lady firebender: Sweetie, I never said you were…but I will now. You're f---ing crazy!

Aayura: DO-NOT-CALL-ME-CRAZY! spazzes out and leaps at lady firebender with flames in her hands

lady firebender: OH my freaking god! I'll be back in time to update, provided I survive the fourth degree burns my psychotic character wants to give me! runs away screaming Buh-bye now!))


End file.
